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ROTARY WORLD PEACE FELLOW REPORT REPORT 1: BRADFORD BEGINNINGS

RACHEL YORDY

First Impressions and Setting Down Roots: It is hard to believe that two months have passed since my arrival in Bradford this September; it feels like home already. I was fortunate to land on my feet: finding a room in a private residence with other World Peace Fellows from Somaliland, Japan, Palestine and Zambia; meeting friends that share interests in African languages, politics and development; and receiving tremendous support from host counselors on both sides of the Atlantic. The University of Bradford has fully lived up to my expectations and its reputation for Peace Studies. I am enrolled in courses that truly interest and challenge me with leading professors in the field. The library offers a great selection of books and journals for my interests in development, Africa, and peace theory. The weather may not be ideal, but it’s perfect for curling up with a book and getting those papers done. And, after coming from the 40-degree heat and incessant sun of Egypt, I’m quite happy to experience cooler weather, take in the ever-changing clouds in these beautiful Yorkshire dales (right), and even be caught out in an occasional downpour. After finding myself a pair of ‘Wellies’ (i.e. rubber boots to North Americans) and a local pastry shop I hope I’m well on my way to local integration. To maintain balance between theory and practice I also found a part-time job working with refugees, which is a particular passion of mine. I hope to write a dissertation on livelihood strategies for refugees in Cairo - particularly single mothers - but am keen to learn as much as I can about the policies and opportunities for asylum seekers and refugees in both global north and south. As an advice worker at Bradford Action for Refugees, I’m learning much about how the sharp wheels of the British bureaucracy turn for those not welcome within the UK's boundaries, and strive to offer a listening ear or make phone calls to the home office or

a local housing management company to support those who come through our doors in their day to day struggles. This weekend a colleague and I had the opportunity to take a few refugee families (including this Palestinian family, left) to the Opera in Leeds. It was amazing how easy it was to talk sports and school with the 5-10 year olds – and thrilling to watch their excitement at the Leeds Christmas lights and Opera House. There’s something so universal about childhood, and it’s wonderful to be reminded of the little joys of life, and that there’s much more to life than school!

Overall, I’ve found things that add richness and meaning to life here, and am happy to be studying in Bradford.

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Academic Activities and Progress: As a student in the University’s African Peace Studies MA, I am taking three courses this semester: “Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies”, “Introduction to African Politics” and “Introduction to Conflict Resolution.” My favourite is undoubtedly African Politics with Professor Nana Poku, a long-time colleague and friend of Kofi Annan who has incredible academic perspectives and stories to share from his consulting work with the United Nations all over the continent. I appreciate Nana’s breadth of knowledge as well as his humility in articulating where he believes his UN missions have gone wrong, and the limits of his own knowledge. To see him grappling with the human consequences of his actions, and yet to maintain a sense of optimism in facing the challenges that continue to thwart development and peace in Africa is truly inspiring. Prof Poku should be leading a study trip to Uganda next semester, and I hope to participate in the group. We have actually finished our first course already – the Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies module. For the first six weeks of this course we had two lectures a week because the theoretical concepts were deemed so central that we needed them at the very beginning of the degree. I wrote my first paper on the significance of inequalities and environmental constraints as sources of conflict now and in the future, and how the linkages between these two factors may lead to an increase in conflict if globalization and global warming continue unfettered. It was a very challenging paper for me and I learned much while reading and researching for it. We should receive our marks by the end of the week, and indeed, the whole group is holding our breaths to see what the grading is like for MAs at Bradford. As part of the course we also participated in a one-day gender workshop, which was a course highlight for me. After intercultural and theoretical discussions in the morning, I participated in a ceasefire negotiation simulation in the afternoon led by a practitioner who co-facilitated the Bosnia negotiations with the United Nations back in the early 1990s. I often learn best through experience, and found this to very insightful both in how these negotiations work, as well as in the explicit (and intentional) absence of gender sensitivity throughout the simulation. Involvement with Rotary: As I related in a recent blog post, I have been profoundly touched by the generosity of Rotarians in both Canada and England! I have been communicating with John Wahl at my local Rotary Club in Waterloo since January 2008 and the Fellowship application process was just beginning. He and the Waterloo club have been incredibly supportive: backing me up 100% as the application went to the district and then international levels, inviting me to attend and speak at a couple of meetings, and setting me up with a beautiful umbrella and provisions for the journey over. Through support from Fred Sweeny at the district level I have also had the honour of meeting Rotarians in Fergus, Simcoe and Cambridge, and deeply respect their commitment to service initiatives in their communities and around the globe (eradicating polio, investing in education, mobilizing humanitarian support through shelterbox etc!).

On the English side of the pond, I have been blessed with two host counselors offering advice and support in all kinds of amazing and unexpected ways. I was initially partnered with the wonderful Wally Hirst (and his equally lovely wife Margaret – left with Altaf from Class VII). Wally was very generous with his time, answering logistical questions, connecting me with others, viewing potential flats and welcoming me into his world. Then, shortly before I arrived, our group learned that one of our members would be unable to

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join us as a result of linguistic challenges, so I was asked if Marcela Livingston could be my host counselor instead. Of course I agreed. When she picked me up from the airport (at 4:45am!) that first morning I immediately knew we would get along well. She's a big-hearted Argentinian artist who has been so welcoming and generous: giving me a place to crash as I needed, helping to navigate the myriad things required to settled into a new life (registering for uni, getting a bank account, sorting accommodations, providing me with bedding etc) and providing emotional support and loads of hugs. In fact, both Marcela and Wally have offered tremendous emotional and logistical support in dealing with an eye problem that required specialist attention and then surgery shortly after my arrival. (Wally connected me with an Ophthalmologist friend while Marcela drove me to the multiple medical appointments to get the surgery done). I have really enjoyed spending time with Marcela on outings and at conferences, and with Wally and Margaret at Rotary dinners – they’re all such wonderful, kind-hearted people. Marcela’s love of Peace Fellows led her to take a whole car-full of us (right) to the District Conference in Southport and host our entire group (classes VII and VIII) for an evening of socializing and reflections after the Rotary Peace Conference. Amazing! In terms of participating in Rotary events, I have taken part in all three organized gatherings to date:

- The Leicester ‘Link Weekend’ with Ambassadorial Fellows: September 25-27; - The Yorkshire District Convention in Southport: October 7-9, 2009; and - The Annual Rotary Peace Conference at Bradford: October 30-31, 2009

All three served as opportunities to bond with other Class VIII World Peace Fellows, learn more about Rotary culture and service both locally and internationally, and connect with Rotarians from all over the United Kingdom. Highlights from these events included brilliant presentations by the Department of Peace Studies’ Professor Paul Rogers – perhaps one of the most eloquent and insightful professors out there – and hearing about the Applied Field Experiences (AFEs) of Class VII World Peace Fellows during the Bradford Seminar. I also really appreciated a home-stay weekend with Moira and Howard Bartlett in Leicester and their kindness and hospitality in showing Yoko (another Class VIII fellow, from Japan) and I the sights and countryside around Great Glen. Below are a couple photographs of group members during these three events.

Rotary World Peace Fellows - Class VIII (missing Mable from Zambia)

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Finally, this week I had the opportunity to connect with Marcela’s Rotary Club, Bradford-Bronte. On November 19th Marcela picked me up at the crack of dawn (well, 7:00am) to offer “Reflections on a Path of Peace”, a photo-based presentation about my experiences and inspirations to date. At the suggestion of another club member, Phil, we began my talk with a short video speech given by Bill Huntley, the visionary behind the World Peace Fellowship Programme and a moving orator. It contextualized the programme beautifully! Overall I think things were positively received by Rotarians, and we shared an enjoyable breakfast. I have to gush a bit - I was quite impressed with the spirit of Marcela’s club. Not only were they lively and asking sharp questions first thing in the morning, there was a real spirit of camaraderie and care between members. I hope to connect with them again, perhaps in the new year. Successes and challenges as a Rotary World Peace Fellow I think I’ve spoken about the major successes already – setting down roots, participating enthusiastically in Rotary functions, and finding meaningful ways to connect with others in Bradford. On a personal level I am also starting to forge some significant friendships with other Peace Fellows and classmates from around the world. One of these friends and I are starting to coordinate regular peace studies movie nights, and I have already traveled with another. The challenges I have faced have primarily involved balancing the significant commitments to Rotary in the first few months of the programme with course work and friendship-building. Class VII have promised us that the number of activities will lessen and we will be able to focus more of our energies on our coursework from now on, which, I must admit I am looking forward to. While we are incredibly grateful for the support of Rotary, and intend to take our commitments seriously throughout the fellowship, it may be advisable (both financially and logistically) for the World Peace Fellows to attend only the District Convention, and forgo Link Weekend in subsequent years. I had fun in Leicester, however I did not really bond with Ambassadorial Fellows much, or feel I needed the weekend to understand Rotary International or build relationships with other World Peace Fellows Let me not end on a heavy note however. One final success for me thus far has been in starting dialogue with members of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Egypt regarding a potential internship with them this summer. I have applied online, and have also sent a CV and cover letter to a colleague who serves as the

Left: Rajaa (Israel/Palestine), Goranka (Australia/Serbia), Torie (New Zealand), Mable (Zambia), and Bryan (Canada) taking a break from Morris Dancing during Link Weekend Right: Yoko (Japan), Moira, and I in Leicester

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Medical Focal Point on the Community Team. He has emailed these on my behalf to human resources staff, with a wonderful recommendation letter, and provided me with additional contact information to follow up on this in the coming weeks. Because I am quite clear on where and how I want to focus my AFE I am confident that something will work out, be it with the UNHCR or in simply conducting field research for my dissertation in Cairo – perhaps with the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies.